Title:Contributing WriterLocation:Charleston, South CarolinaExpertise:Market-driven cuisine, local and sustainable eating, seafoodMike Lata is chef and co-owner of FIG and The Ordinary in South Carolina. He took home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009 and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2017 and 2018. The restaurants have also received their own accolades: FIG won JBF Outstanding Wine Program in 2018 and was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in 2019 and 2020. The Ordinary was a JBF finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2013. Additionally, GQ and Esquire named The Ordinary one of the top new restaurants of 2013.A native of Western Massachusetts, Mike started his culinary career at an early age, working in kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta and France before landing in Charleston in 1998. He is a hands-on, self-taught chef who is relentless in his pursuit of the freshest products, which constantly inspire and define his work. Mike’s mission is to create bright, satisfying food that is both uncomplicated and elegant, all the while paying respect to the efforts and traditions of his family of purveyors and the Lowcountry. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to support local farmers and fishermen has cemented his position as a champion of Charleston’s flourishing culinary renaissance.EatingWell, aDotdash Meredith Brand, has been publishing award-winning journalism about food, nutrition and sustainability since 1990. Our mission is to share flavor-packed recipes from around the world, celebrating fresh ingredients and the farmers, artisans and chefs who bring them to our table. Through science-backed nutrition advice and smart stories about sustainability, we help readers live their best lives. Learn moreabout usand oureditorial process.
Title:Contributing WriterLocation:Charleston, South CarolinaExpertise:Market-driven cuisine, local and sustainable eating, seafood
Title:Contributing Writer
Location:Charleston, South Carolina
Expertise:Market-driven cuisine, local and sustainable eating, seafood
Mike Lata is chef and co-owner of FIG and The Ordinary in South Carolina. He took home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009 and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2017 and 2018. The restaurants have also received their own accolades: FIG won JBF Outstanding Wine Program in 2018 and was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in 2019 and 2020. The Ordinary was a JBF finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2013. Additionally, GQ and Esquire named The Ordinary one of the top new restaurants of 2013.A native of Western Massachusetts, Mike started his culinary career at an early age, working in kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta and France before landing in Charleston in 1998. He is a hands-on, self-taught chef who is relentless in his pursuit of the freshest products, which constantly inspire and define his work. Mike’s mission is to create bright, satisfying food that is both uncomplicated and elegant, all the while paying respect to the efforts and traditions of his family of purveyors and the Lowcountry. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to support local farmers and fishermen has cemented his position as a champion of Charleston’s flourishing culinary renaissance.
Mike Lata is chef and co-owner of FIG and The Ordinary in South Carolina. He took home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009 and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2017 and 2018. The restaurants have also received their own accolades: FIG won JBF Outstanding Wine Program in 2018 and was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in 2019 and 2020. The Ordinary was a JBF finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2013. Additionally, GQ and Esquire named The Ordinary one of the top new restaurants of 2013.
A native of Western Massachusetts, Mike started his culinary career at an early age, working in kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta and France before landing in Charleston in 1998. He is a hands-on, self-taught chef who is relentless in his pursuit of the freshest products, which constantly inspire and define his work. Mike’s mission is to create bright, satisfying food that is both uncomplicated and elegant, all the while paying respect to the efforts and traditions of his family of purveyors and the Lowcountry. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to support local farmers and fishermen has cemented his position as a champion of Charleston’s flourishing culinary renaissance.
EatingWell, aDotdash Meredith Brand, has been publishing award-winning journalism about food, nutrition and sustainability since 1990. Our mission is to share flavor-packed recipes from around the world, celebrating fresh ingredients and the farmers, artisans and chefs who bring them to our table. Through science-backed nutrition advice and smart stories about sustainability, we help readers live their best lives. Learn moreabout usand oureditorial process.
